The thing I really liked about these different sections was that they had actual information and resources included. It wasn’t merely things like “make a budget”, “open a 401(k)”, and “check out mutual funds”. There were actual explanations about the benefits and drawbacks of a lot of financial choices, as well as in-depth information and examples of the consequences if these decisions. I definitely learned some things I didn’t know before! I learned a lot about the different income limits for different retirement funds, and the amount of coverage I should be buying for my car insurance. I got a better idea about all the different investment options, and the difference between mutual funds, bond funds, and the tax implications of investing in these different funds. She includes lots of information that, had it been my personal copy (and not a library copy) I would have gotten out highlighters and post-its to remind myself of the important information. Throughout, she provides links to websites and calculators (which would be even more handy in an ebook format where you could click-through to the sites), as well as recommended books for further reading on each subject.

So, I’ll reiterate: Read this book. I took a lot of notes for myself while reading this book. It got me thinking about my current financial setup and how I can improve it. And maybe I might even buy myself a copy so I can highlight the important points that I will want to come back to (there was a lot of useful information for homebuyers that I don’t need right now, but will need in the future). Plus there’s a great list of resources at the end of the book (more books, magazines, blogs, websites, etc.) that will help me add to my to-read list.

Have you read the book? What do you think? I’d recommend it to pretty much anyone! Buy it for recent grads! They’ll grumble at being told what to do, but they’ll appreciate it 🙂